On Wednesday the 26th of March, 14 students and Ms Reynolds participated in the Mercy 5 Senior Students Advocacy in Action Day located at Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta.
Following the theme of the recently commemorated World Water Day, we looked at water conservation; in Australia and other countries around us, such as Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. We learnt that women and girls in small communities must not only trek on average 6km a day to get clean water but also carry around 20L of water that is delegated to many household needs (i.e. hydration, sanitation, etc…). Afterwards, we participated in an activity requiring us to hold 9L of water over an approximately 15m field. This task provided us with a better understanding of the issues experienced by the women and young girls placed in this difficult position daily, impacting their health and ability to go to school.
We then heard from two representatives from Mercy Works who worked in Papua New Guinea. We were informed about the impact that Mercy Works has on the livelihood of those living in Papua New Guinea and their personal experiences with the communities. An example of their efforts is their implementation of a $6000 water tank to a remote community, giving them access (however, still limited) to water. The rest of the day included learning about the different initiatives that improve environmental conservation in the other Mercy schools in Sydney and brainstorming initiatives to implement in our own school community.
Taking inspiration from the Mercy Justice Advocacy Approach, we decided to improve the promotion and awareness of a current campaign, CleanMac, which was created last year. This campaign promoted the idea that we should be using the Return and Earn crates respectfully to reduce plastic waste. By doing this, we will be able to increase the funds received in the scheme, which all goes to the St Vincent De Paul Society.
To promote the campaign, we plan on increasing the usage of the CleanMac logo around the school, and consistent reminders of how to use the crates diligently. We also plan on creating more interactive initiatives surrounding reducing the pollution going into the environment and water.
Overall, we found the day extremely educational and engaging, and we are excited to use this new experience and knowledge to improve the way the school lives out the Mercy value of stewardship.
Emily P. and Alyssa R.T., Year 11 students
Catherine McAuley Westmead
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